This dungeon is closed for cleaning. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Goblin Cleanup
Developer: Crisalu Games
Release Date: To be announced
A co-op cleaning game where you have to clean and rearrange a dungeon before the next adventurers come to complete it again.
As evidenced by my Powerwash Sim and Crime Scene Cleaner love, I have a bit of a tendency towards a nice, cleaning, task simulator. I am always so grateful when another game pops up like this and they are good. The line between compulsive and boring is surprisingly thin, it would be so easy to misstep, but this demo – along with the other games I mentioned above – sits on the compulsive side.
The game is planned for an Early Access release (no date at the time of writing) and that makes Goblin Cleanup all the more exciting to me. This was a great, fully functional, polished demo that showcases the core concept of the game. Community feedback will inform the direction of the rest of the game and the functionality of the demo makes me have confidence in the developers to really deliver the content.
What I mean by that is everything just worked so well. Goblin Cleanup is a twist on the genre where your job is to clean away the blood and gore of heros and adventurers that have fallen in the clients dungeon. Through the grime you will be both avoiding and resetting traps, placing the furniture back where it belongs and wondering what the heck happened to make such a mess. It is user friendly, snappy and there was only one mechanic that I would have liked an upgrade for.
The traps add a new idea to a tried and tested core, adding a slight order of operations puzzle to ensure maximum efficiency. After all, you don’t want to trip the crossbow to shoot you point blank because you didn’t move a piece of furniture earlier, spilling your own blood and meat over your freshly mopped floor. Navigation is also part of the fun, finding the best way to get the furniture to where it belongs without stepping on a pressure plate because you couldn’t see in front of your feet, because you were carrying furniture. Each dungeon has a large amount of levels, allowing you to experience the journey that the unfortunate heros themselves would face, with interesting winding level design and no way of knowing how to navigate until you try it for yourself.
I can’t speak for the co-op experience as these types of game are a solo endeavour for me, but it is certainly going on my wishlist as a podcast/tv show companion game. I only played 2 levels but I am sold that this is a fun time, worthy of it’s place in the genre. Adding magic to cleaning is an angle I didn’t know that I needed.
Demo Length – 2+ hour At a glance + Another fine example of the genre with its own twist. + A funny concept. + Plays smoothly. + User friendly. + Compulsive. + Stays on the right side of fun vs tedious (so far). +/- I did not get as far as levels with enemies yet so I can’t comment on whether that adds a fun challenge or frustration. – My one problem was walking backwards and forwards so much to get fresh water, I could have used some pockets for my slimes.
Design automated workshops for your odd and adorable Sparks to carry and craft everything, including more of themselves! Lead your squad of Sparks into combat. Explore a strange fantasy world, in single player or online co-op. Unearth the ancient mystery of the Sparks!
Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure combines the automation and optimisation process of games like Satisfactory or Factorio, with the crafting and creature collecting of games like The Wild at Heart into an expansive yet cozy package. The generous demo provides a lengthy look at what the game aims to be ready for its Early Access release in April.
After a slow start, Oddsparks begins to shine as it reveals the star of the show – Sparks. Sparks are mysterious little forest friends that seemingly exist to serve you. Whether moving ever forward on a predefined route carrying anything in their path as they go, or following you around ready to harvest resources or even fight, these valuable little critters are the heart of the game.
In any automation game, the freedom to be able to relocate your buildings and constructs, make changes to your set up and alter and rebuild paths without penalty is crucial in encouraging creativity. This game allows for that perfectly. As I unlocked new things and discovered new areas I was free to experiment with my set up which, in my opinion, is half of the fun of the game.
The game (at least as far as I got) is set in two areas. The village, and what I will call the wilderness. The village is where the NPCs live, giving you tasks in order to help you learn the game while drip feeding story and flavour. The wilderness is where you will do your building. It is large, full of resources, and potentially more dangerous the further that you go.
The village itself is the weakest point of the game for me. I was never excited to return, only going back because I had to hand in my quests but never looking forward to it. There was a disconnect between me and the dialogue that didn’t allow me to connect with the characters, making it feel less like a home base and more like a chore to return.
I am looking forward to following the development of Oddsparks and very interested to see what changes – if any – are made throughout Early Access. While it wasn’t a home run for me, I did stop playing the demo early as I was sold on the full game. That is a sign of a demo doing its job!
Demo Length – Long At a glance + Simple rules. + Encourages creativity. + A great mixture of game genres. + Glad it is going into Early Access rather than full release. – A little too talky for me as I was not invested in the dialogue. – I never wanted to go to the village.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is a single player survivor-like auto-shooter. Wield the full arsenal of Deep Rock Galactic, take on hordes of lethal aliens, mine riches, and unlock powerful upgrades. It’s one dwarf against all of Planet Hoxxes!
In case you don’t know, the idea of the ‘survivor-like’ genre is like a giant game of tag. Everyone is ‘it’, they are all monsters and if they touch you, you aren’t going to live for much longer. In order to survive, you have weapons that automatically trigger on a cool down basis. Every enemy you kill drops XP which you can then collect to upgrade your weapons and your character, never allowing you to be too far away from the chaos as you retrace the trail of death in your wake, absorbing all of the gains along the way.
Stemming from the game-changing innovation that is Vampire Survivors, these games are particularly popular on the go as runs tend to be relatively short and meta progression can make even a dud run worthwhile. They don’t tend to require memorising buttons, making them very easy and satisfying to pick up as a palate cleanser between other games.
What makes Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors stand out among an ever-growing genre isn’t necesserily just the IP. The digging mechanic opens up a breadth of possibilities that takes engagement up to a whole new level. Not only are you playing this game of extreme dodgeball, having the ability to mine resources forces you to choose how you want to spend your time, how much risk you are willing take to become more powerful, gives you something to juggle in the opening minutes of the level and opens up manoeuvrability options that can save your life, or get you killed.
I had 3 runs, the third of which got me my first clear. It was intense, the adrenaline was high and I got out by the skin of my teeth. The difficulty rising throughout the levels feels consistant, every run giving you more information and a chance to be better equipped than the last.
While I haven’t played enough of either Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor or Vampire Survivors to make definitive statements, this game has huge potential to have the holding power that Vampire Survivors didn’t quite have for me. I highly recommend giving this one a try if you are even slightly curious. The game doesn’t hold your hand but the learning curve truly is a pleasure.
Demo Length – As long as you want, there is quite a bit of content. There is a disclaimer that it probably wont transfer to the full game. I played for 1hr 30mins.
At a glance + Outstanding Survivor-like. + Visually easy to read. + Mining adds an entirely new strategic layer. + Enemy variety. + Lot’s of content. + Runs feel well paced. + Satisfying progression. + The components of Deep Rock Galactic blend exceptionally well into this genre. +/- Progress is probably not going to transfer over to the full game.
My Indie Showcase series has reached its 100th video! That is a milestone worth celebrating and what better way than to shout out the stand out games from the latest 50 videos.
Making this list was difficult to say the least. We have played some absolute gems over the last year and I couldn’t be more excited about the future of gaming. But that made narrowing them down all the more tough. I got there in the end, but as a compromise, the list is not in a ranked order.
If you would like to see the top games from my first 50 Indie Showcase videos you can do so here. Here’s to another 100!
What is Indie Showcase? Every Saturday I try out a different indie game on my YouTube channel. It started out as short, free-to-play games on Steam and games from bundles, but soon extended to demos, games I recieved codes for and games on subscription services.
Slay the Princess [Demo]
Developer: Black Tabby Games
Release Date: 2023
You’re here to slay the princess. Don’t believe her lies.
I am beginning with Slay the Princess because not only did I love the game, but I also think it is my best Indie Showcase to date. The uncertainty, the mystery, the voice acting, the art, the mind games and everything else all came together to create a game that could have been made especially for me. While I could have explored the demo a little more to find more branches, I didn’t need to as I am 100% sold on the game and would like to experience the rest in full release.
Slay the Princess is a visual novel that feels like it is all about the dialogue tree. Navigating choices in order to unravel the mystery is as intriguing as it is entertaining, because as much as you are playing the game yourself, it is hard to shake the feeling that the game is playing you right back.
Roadwarden is an illustrated text-based RPG that uses isometric pixel art and combines mechanics borrowed from RPGs, Visual Novels, adventure games and interactive fiction.
Here’s a secret. Every time I sit down to record a game that I know is going to be text heavy I get nervous. Every single time. Thankfully with Roadwarden my worries were completely eased by the immersion that I experienced. That sounds counterintuitive – a text based adventure being so immersive, but well written world building does that to me in a huge way and this is full of it.
Roadwarden is a text based rpg with a distinctive colour palette. The pixel art gives just enough to show you the locations you are visiting then the words populate it with history and life. This game somehow made me desperately want to hit the road to experience adventures of my own, not at all deterred by the stories of said road.
Return to the crumbling coal town your family built generations ago for the funeral of your aunt. You won’t be able to save everyone. You might not even be able to save yourself
Created by the same developer as Slay the Princess, I did not expect that they could have made another game that I liked more than this one – which is a huge compliment to both of their games since I really like this one. I played Scarlet Hollow (episode 1) first and it immediatly took a place in my heart, enough that I purchased the game to do a full Let’s Play some day.
Scarlet Hollow is an eerie visual novel with some very interesting trait choices right off the bat, including one that I think completely made the game for me. The art style is distinctive and memorable, it doesn’t hold back and I just want to see more of it!
Thanks to next generation AI technology, BUDDY SIMULATOR 1984 simulates the experience of hanging out with a best buddy! Your buddy learns from you, constantly adapting to your interests and personality. But most importantly, your buddy can play games with you!
Another Game that I purchased was Buddy Simulator 1984. I wasn’t in the biggest rush to get it as I have so many other games to play, but it cropped up in a great indie bundle and I couldn’t pass it up. The experience of the demo was so well done and ended perfectly, I wonder how the rest of the game compares.
In Buddy Simulator we create our own AI buddy by inputting commands into a machine. The games that we play with our Buddy are fun, as well as the between moments, watching our friend grow and evolve. I don’t want to say more than that, but it was certainly a demo that I did not forget in a hurry.
Coral Island is a vibrant and laid-back reimagining of farm sim games. Be who you want and experience enchanting island living at your own pace—live off the land, nurture animals, build relationships with a diverse cast of townsfolk, and make the world around you a more vital and harmonious place.
In my time doing Indie Showcase I have tried out a LOT of cozy games. They can be very hit or miss for me, and the more I try, the more I learn what I value in these types of games. Coral Island feels like exactly what I am looking for.
With a very aesthetically pleasing town to explore, Coral Island has the potential to be the low stakes with lots to do ‘podcast game’ that I love to play. Farming, upgrading and making friends are as far as I got but I know there is more as the devs are very active and open about what is to come. Coral Island is just a place that I want to be.
The inventory management roguelike! Collect rare items, organize your bag, and vanquish your foes!
The most recent addition to the list – as it is game 98 of 100 – is Backpack Hero. Based on the premise this one could have gone either way for me, but I enjoyed it so much, I may have bought it outright if I had enough time to get addicted to a game right now.
Backpack Hero is a turn based roguelike that has a focus on strategic inventory tetris. Every item that you pick up takes up precious space in your bag. The limited space forces you to try to get over any ‘too good to use’ syndrome that you may have, as well as make difficult choices as empty spaces can be just as valuable as a treasure. Throughout the game you are making your way through dungeons, fighting groups of enemies while collecting their treasure, if you can carry it.
Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you.
Vampire Survivors was almost bumped off this list as I added in Backpack Hero, thinking that one roguelike was enough. But how could I do that when I purchased the game on Steam as I wanted to continue playing so much. The real reason is because I don’t feel like I got quite as obsessed as others when the game was really taking off. But just because I didn’t, it doesn’t mean that this game doesnt deserve a place in the top 10.
In Vampire Survivors, all you have to do is move your character to dodge enemies, collect things, and make choices to see how long you can survive against the masses. It is super easy to pick up and play, I got more than my moneys worth and I am not done yet! It served me well as a great ‘1 or 2 runs before bed’ kind of game.
Abscission is a Lovecraftian, story-driven horror point-and-click investigation game. It involves searching crime scenes for evidence, combining clues and questioning suspects. Puzzles can have multiple solutions as you guide the protagonist – Detective Will Stanhope – through the story.
I am unsure how I heard about Abscission but I am so glad I did. Murder mysteries and detective games are among my favourite genres and I am always very happy to find them. Particularly when the cases are compelling like this one.
During my time with the demo I encountered some pretty ghastly scenes, both of the crime and the eldritch kind. The point and click set up had me combing crime scenes, questioning witnesses/suspects and problem solving as I tried to put together a strange series of events.
When I played the Abscission demo it was only available on Itch but since then they have also put up a Steam page!
Casebook 1899 – The Leipzig Murders [Demo]
Developer: Homo Narrans Studio
Release Date: Coming Soon
Feel like a real 19th-century detective in this retro pixel-art detective adventure. As well as featuring classic point & click gameplay you will have to draw your own conclusions and use a deduction board to find the real culprit under several suspects in four murder cases.
Like I said before, I am partial to a detective game. While both Abscission and Casebook 1899 are point and click adventure games, they feel very different both tonally and in play.
Casebook 1899 – The Leipzig Murders is a series of cases that you gather clues in order to solve correctly (or not). I can’t help but compare this to the Sherlock Holmes games – particularly ‘Crimes and Punishment’ and ‘The Devils Daughter’. Imagine those games but rather than 3D action adventure they leant more towards 2D puzzling. That is what this is and if that excites you, it should!
You must stay in your apartment as the city around you falls to an Eldritch horror.
Finally – going back to Indie Showcase roots – I had to include a short, free-to-play narrative game. But not out of obligation – You Will (Not) Remain earned the spot all by itself. Two things struck me with this game. The first was the ability to tell a complete story in a short amount of time. That was one of the my big interests as I begun this series – to see what people could make within a small game, whether that is run time or complexity. The second was the simple yet striking art.
You Will (Not) Remain is a short but sweet (?!) narrative game. Taking place in an apartment, we spend time with our main character as they contemplate life in their apartment as the world crumbles – or has already crumbled – around them.
Thank you for reading and thank you for any support, be that financial, engagement with my content or moral support via kind words. It is all very much appreciated and helps me continue my work.
Also, thank you if you have ever engaged with any of the games that I have showcased. Other than the enjoyment that I get out of trying such a variety of games and being inspired by peoples work, the ultimate goal is to be able to help indie games, working as a signal booster to help games find their audience.
If you are looking for even more interesting indie games, I have you covered. Here are links to all of my previous Indie Showcase work.
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